AB: A thoracic aortic aneurysm was diagnosed in a 6-month-old male Leonberg dog, presented to a veterinary centre in France, by use of radiography, transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, and magnetic resonance imaging. The aneurysm was associated with a twisted ascending aorta and dilatation of several other thoracic arteries (pulmonary trunk, brachiocephalic trunk and left subclavian artery). Histological examination of the aorta revealed cystic medial necrosis, with disruption of the elastic network, collagen fibres and the muscle glycoprotein fibrillin-1. The dam and sire of the dog and 8 littermates were examined by use of transthoracic echocardiography. The sire and one male littermate also had an aneurysm of the ascending aorta. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of familial aortic aneurysm in dogs.